Friday, May 2, 2014

A Field in England

Late in the
English Civil War a man by the name of Whitehead (Reece Shearsmith) finds
himself saddled with the task of locating and arresting O'Niel
(Michael Smiley), who stole some books from Whitehead's master, a prominent
astrologer. Whitehead comes upon three deserters. Starving, they cook up some mushrooms and soon find
themselves stranded in a strange field and under the spell of O’Neil who
insists they find a hidden treasure before he turns them all into frogs. It is
at that point things start to get weird.

A Field in England is a highly stylized mix of surreal horror and deadpan humor. The entire film
is shot in a high contrast black and white, with a minimal cast and just a few
outdoor locations. There are long stretches of walking and talking broken up by strange
musical interludes. Scenes are often introduced or concluded with the actors posing in tableau, and occasionally breaking the fourth wall by looking
directly into the camera. It's not just high weirdness on display, A Field in England also likes to splash a little gore around especially during its prolonged climax.

It is definitely a film that benefits from repeated
viewings. The concepts and elements contained within are never
spelled out. There's no quick tutorial of what time period it is, how alchemy,
astrology, or a faerie circle should work. The characters are either unable or
unwilling to explain anything to their cohorts. The movie holds its audience at
a distance, but thanks to some very deft writing and characterization it still
pulls the viewer into its narrative.

There
is wealth of dry wit and even a bit of scatological humor to keep
the story from becoming a grim slog. The dialogue is very quotable, mostly from
the seemingly simple, Friend (Richard Glover): “I think I have worked out what God is
punishing us for. Everything.” All of
the characters reveal hidden depths, and often in surprising ways. As a viewer
I was surprised at how attached I had become to these world weary, cynical, and
often cowardly people. Good characterization is often in sacrificed for
spectacle in horror films, so it's absolutely refreshing to see it brought
front and center without diluting the unsettling nature of the story.

The
soundtrack is a mix of period drumming that melds into eerie synthesizer
music when things really start to go haywire. Friend even
sings a short musical interlude, backed by an unseen female voice (listed
as The Field in the credits). It's another marvelous tool to keep the viewer off center.

A Field in England's combination of
stylization and obtuse story isn't for everyone, but if you're willing to put
in a little effort and accept its peculiar design, you will find a tremendously
enjoyable movie.It's also a much more fun
experience than you would expect from a black and white horror movie set in the
17th century.